HART completes 100th column along rail route

The Honolulu rail transit project has completed the first 100 support columns of the planned elevated rail system.

Crews finished work on the 100th column along Kualakai Parkway in East Kapolei on June 12. Honolulu Area for Rapid Transportation (HART) expects to have 220 columns up by the end of this year that will support the elevated guideway for the first 10 miles of the rail route.

"The fact that we've gone from 16 completed columns to 100 in less than nine months shows tremendous progress for rail," said Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. "We're moving forward and are well on our way to providing a safe, reliable transportation system that will improve the quality of life for our island residents."

Other rail work already underway includes construction of the train maintenance and operations center in Waipahu and production at a Kalaeloa concrete casting yard of the guideway segments. Guideway installation work is also underway in East Kapolei.

"We're also scheduled to award several major construction contracts later this year, including one for the second half of the rail guideway from Aloha Stadium to Ala Moana Center," HART Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Dan Grabauskas said. "Our goal remains to build the highest quality system and we are on the right path to get the job done."

The first 10 miles of the rail system from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium is expected to open in 2017, with the full 20-mile line ready for service in 2019.